Cozy Mystery Review: Murder in the Tea Leaves | Laura Childs | A Tea Shop Mystery #27

I’m always excited to settle in with a new Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs. The historic Charleston setting, the adorable tea shop, and the brazen tea maven, Theodosia Browning, never disappoint! In the latest cozy mystery from Laura Childs, Murder in the Tea Leaves, Theodosia is helping provide craft services for a movie filming nearby, when a murder in the dark sends the whole production to a screeching halt!

About the Book | Murder in the Tea Leaves

It’s Lights, Action, Murder as tea maven Theodosia Browning scrambles for clues in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

When Theodosia Browning reads the tea leaves on the set of the movie, Dark Fortunes, things go from spooky to worse. Lights are dimmed, the camera rolls, and red-hot sparks fly as the film’s director is murdered in a tricky electrical accident. Or was it an accident?

Though the cast and crew are stunned beyond belief, nobody admits to seeing a thing. And when Theodosia’s friend, Delaine, becomes the prime suspect, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. But who among this Hollywood cast and crew had murder on their mind? The screenwriter is a self-centered pot head, the leading actress is trying to wiggle out of her contract, the brand new director seems indifferent, and nobody trusts the slippery-when-dry Hollywood agent.

Between hosting a Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea, a Poetry Tea, and trying to launch her own chocolate line, Theodosia doggedly hunts down clues and explores the seemingly haunted Brittlebank Manor where the murder took place. And just when she’s ready to pounce, a Charleston Film Board member is also murdered, throwing everything into total disarray. But this clever killer will go to any lengths to hide his misdeeds as Theodosia soon finds out when she and her tea sommelier, Drayton, get caught up in a dangerous stakeout. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Review | Murder in the Tea Leaves

Theodosia “Theo” Browning is one of my favorite leading ladies from a cozy mystery series. She’s spunky but refined, and has a knack for investigation that perturbs the police (including her boyfriend) to no end. I always like to hear the goings on at the tea shop sprinkled in throughout the mystery, and this was no exception. In fact, I didn’t count but it seemed to me that this book had more tea party breaks than previous mysteries. This is fun for fans of the series, but new readers may find those a bit meandering.

The book opens on the set of a movie, where Theo and her tea sommelier (and Watson to her Holmes) Drayton Conneley are providing craft services in the form of delectable teas, coffee cakes, scones, and tea sandwiches to the cast and crew. The film Dark Fortunes is in its first day of filming, but director Josh Morro is already unhappy. He has cued the actress dressed as the fortune teller to read the tea leaves for the leading actress, Andrea Blair in the opening scene. But when a tea bag plops ungracefully out of the teapot onto the table, Theo can’t help but offer her advice.

After showing the director that loose leaf tea would give the desired tea leaves and look for filming, Morro takes a look at Theo and switches her into the fortune teller role. Theo isn’t an actress but has no choice. Only just as she is performing her part with the cameras rolling, everything goes dark and a series of loud pops and bright flashes fill the set. When the lights are back on, the director Josh Morro has been electrocuted and it’s clear it’s a murder!

With her boyfriend out of town, the case falls to his boss in the police department, Burt Tidwell. Tidwell and Theo connect about what she witnessed before the murder, and he cautions her strongly to not involve herself in the investigation. Of course, long time readers of this series know that Theo absolutely won’t be following that instruction!

There are plenty of people who may have motives to murder Josh Morro. Actress Andrea Blair allegedly wanted to leave to star in a high-profile reality show, but Morro wouldn’t let her out of her contract for the movie. Screenwriter Craig Cole also didn’t have a great relationship with his director. Meanwhile local clothing shop owner Delaine Dish is worried she might be a suspect (or the next murder victim) after she had a fling with the director that ended poorly. Charleston Film board member Helene Deveroux has been involved with the production and had information on tax rebates and other incentives tied to the film. Executive producer Lewin Usher was also involved with the contract situation with Andrea. Meanwhile the entire lighting crew are considered suspects. It seems that many people had motive, means, and opportunity!

The mystery takes plenty of twists and turns along the way. Theo has a knack for detective work, and she had no problem questioning people she thinks may be suspects or digging for information. The police may not like it, but Theo has a way with solving murder mysteries that can’t be denied!

One of my favorite aspects to this series are the ties to the historic city of Charleston. The historical society tends to make some sort of appearance in every book which adds that fun element of research and history to the investigation. In this book, the filming location is the Brittlebank Manor. In addition to rumors of hauntings that plague the historic mansion, there’s also a legend that a woman was held prisoner in the manor’s attic. And she may not be the only person who found themselves imprisoned there!

Plenty of motives to go around, and the key is figuring out which one fits the murders. I always enjoy following the investigation and trying to figure out which leads I’d follow if I were Theodosia. The tea parties are fun—in this case there were several—but in this mystery they were less-relevant to the sleuthing than in some others. Childs always includes some fabulous recipes at the end, including Haley’s Killer Cinnamon Coffee Cake!

I will never turn down a chance to enjoy one of the Tea Shop Mysteries. With a creepy setting, a film production in town, links to a haunted mansion, and plenty of suspects—this is a winner!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author | Laura Childs

Laura Childs is a pseudonym for Gerry Schmitt and she is the best-selling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, the Scrapbook Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries.

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura Childs specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller, and has three series to check out!

Tea Shop Mysteries

Set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries

A slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries

Set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.